Horses!

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The Value of “Little Bits”: Uplifted Hands

A fierce battle raged. Echoes ricocheted throughout the valley as the swords of the opposing nations clashed against each other. Moments turned into hours as the armies of the Israelites and the Amalekites duelled, and for much of that time it seemed the Israelites were winning.

Suddenly, the momentum shifted and the Amalekites gave out a shout of victory. They surged forward determined to finish off the Israelites once and for all.

But then, something changed, and soon the Amalekites found themselves giving up the very ground they had just gained.

The momentum had shifted again!

But why?

Now on the defensive, the Amalekites didn’t have time to pause and try to figure out what had just happened, but if they could have had a few moments to look up on the hill that was next to the field where the battle was taking place, they would have seen a man named Moses…

With uplifted hands.

Exodus 17:8 – 15 records the account of this battle that took place, and tucked in the middle is an intriguing verse which says, “As long as Moses held up his hands the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.”

Although Moses was not on the battlefront, he was still fighting the battle. His weaponry didn’t resound throughout the valley, but it resounded in the courts of heaven, for he was lifting up his hands…

To the throne of God Almighty.

However, his hands grew weary, and so he rested them. But this caused a shift in the momentum of the battle.

So his two companions who were with him – Aaron and Hur – took a stone and put it under Moses so he could sit down. Then with Aaron standing on one side of Moses and Hur on the other, these two men lifted up Moses’s hands so that they remained steadfast until sunset (17:12).

And do you know what happened?

Joshua won the battle.

You know, sometimes taking time to pray for people who are going through difficult times doesn’t seem like much. It seems like such a “little bit”. Yet, as I read this account I discover that the great value of uplifted hands to heaven. In this case, the uplifted hands of Moses, and the help that Aaron and Hur provided were critical parts in the outcome of this battle.

So if you have been called to uplift your hands to the throne of God on behalf of others, don’t give up. While the echoes of your prayers may seem silent on this earth, they are heard in the courts of heaven by God Himself.